Fishing line drier



March 27, 1951 w, s, FUNK 2,546,222

FISHING LINE DRIER Filed D80- 30, 1948 IN V EN TOR.

T4635 REN SFf/ALIK ATroENEY Patented Mar. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE FISHING LINE DRIER Warren S. Funk, Sioux Falls, S. Dak.

Application December 30, 1948, Serial No. 68,170

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to fishing line driers and more particularly toone of the character that, in use, is applied to a fishing rod for itssupport.

It is well known, among fishermen in particular, that a fishing lineshould be carefully dried each time after a days use, and before it isput away, in order to prevent mildewing, early rotting and other seriousdeterioration of the line, making it unserviceable for further use.

An object of the present invention is to produce an improved device,simple in character yet highly efiicient and effective in use, ofmoderate cost, and one which is easily and quickly attachable to andremovable from a fishing rod.

Another object is to provide such device so that the fishing line asdrawn from the reel on the rod is readily and conveniently carriedaround, over and under the device, loosely and in such manner that airis quite freely penetrable and circulatable between the folds orwindings of the line as applied on the device for drying.

A further object is to provide for adjustment in the mounting andeffective working range of the device on the fishing rod.

A still. further object is to provide for the ready removal of the driedline from the drier of the present invention and the rewinding of theline on the reel which is provided on the rod.

Yet another object is to produce the device of the present invention insuch manner and form that, when not in use, it is in small compass, andso compact as to be carried conveniently in an ordinary fishing tacklebox or in the pocket.

Qther objects and advantages to be attained will appear more fully andclearly in the following description.

A practical but non-limiting adaptation of the invention is illustratedin the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a portion of a fishing rod, showing adrier device applied thereto in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 2 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of one of thebracket members or arms of the device detached and showing details ofits structural form.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the numeral Ill designates aportion of an ordinary fishing rod in the region of its handle ll.Attached to the handle II is a regular reel l2 on which the fishing lineis wound and played out therefrom in use.

Ahead of the reel l2, the rod l has the usual forward hand grip elementl3 indicated thereon. The rod in, however, as far as the presentinvention is concerned, may be of any kind or type as generally adoptedand used by fishermen.

Generally stated, the drier device of the present invention comprises apair of opposed, spacedapart, arms or bracket members which aredetachably secured to the fishing rod and project substantiallyperpendicularly or right-angularly, laterally therefrom, so that thefishing line, as drawn from the reel on the rod, can be looped aroundand around, over and under, said arms or bracket members, easily andwith ample looseness for the air to enter readily and freely between theloopings of the line as thus wound about the arms or bracket members.

In practice, said arms or bracket members are usually spacedapproximately a minimum distance of, say for example, twelve inches(12") apart, and up to a maximum of twenty-eight inches (28"), dependingupon the particular kind, gauge or weight, and length of the line to bedried; and, for this reason, the arms or bracket members are mounted onthe rod adjustably toward and from each other as well as beingdetachable.

It is here noted that, obviously, the material of which the arms orbracket members are made is non-corrosive and rust-proof, usually asuitable metal or some characteristic plastic material.

More specifically with reference to the accompanying drawings, thedevice of the present invention as shown, is in the form of an openframe type of bracket structure or arm, designated as a whole by thenumeral I 4 and shown in clearer detail in Figure 2 of the drawings.

As shown, this element [4 is formed of a single. piece of wire, eithermetallic or plastic, suf-.

ficiently stiff and normally form-retentive but somewhat inherentlyresilient and yieldable under applied force, with appreciably reactivespring effect when relieved of such force. For the purpose of thepresent invention the element I4 is made of a wire that is non-corrosiveand rustproof in itself or else the finished article when ready for useis treated or coated to make it resistant to corrosion and rust-creatingconditions.

Instead of making a pair of the elements I4 in separate rights and leftsso as to be opposed in reverse relation to each other when mounted inuse on the fishing rod l0 as indicated in Figure 1 of the drawings, saidelements are all made alike and in one form. In this way, to obtain thereverse relation of the elements M, as indicated in Figure 1, oneelement is placed on the rod l0, say the upper one as shown in thefigure, and the other (the lower one) is turned over or inverted andplaced in opposed working relation on the rod.

As shown more clearly in Figure 2, the element I4 includes one straightlength !5 of the constituent wire; which is disposed outward relative tothe opposedelement of the pair when attached in use on the fishing rodID. The wire is then rebent, inclinedly as at l6, and divergently, in.-

ward from the part l5, with a round bluntness ll at the extreme end ofthe element where the parts [5 and H5 tend to meet conv'ergently, and,for a slight distance inwardly from the rounded outer end ll of theelement, the part I 5 isturned with an inclined shoulder-like formationI8 which is at an angle substantiallyparallel with the angle ofthedivergent part 16.

Thepart 15 has a substantially right-angular extension i9 at its innerend, and at the outer endrofisaid extension [9 is a curved, rebent,angular portion 20 which is provided as a bearing for theseatingengagement of the fishing rod ,HJ therewith, as will be later more fullydescribed. The inner end portion of the divergent partlG of said elementl lfis looped roundingly, as at 2|, to provide some spring effect for arebent and curved, re-entrantly looped bearing portion 22 for seatingengagement of the fishing red as will be also later explained inconnection with aforesaid bearing portion 20.

"Fromithe bearing. portion 22 the wire is again looped roundingly, as at23, to provide further spring effect for said bearing 22 similar to thatof the part 2 I. Then the wire is extended straightwise,- as at 24,substantially in longitudinal alinement. with the part H9 at the innerend of part [5, said parts 59 and 24 to lie lengthwise of the fishingrod when the element I4 is attached thereto.

Atthe outer endof said straightfextensionfll of the part 16 is a curvedangular bearing portion 25 serving as a rod-engaging seat in cooperationwith the aforesaid-bearing portions Zcand 22, as will be presentlydescribed with reference tothe mounting of the element M on the fishingrod.

The divergent innerend portions of the parts l5 and it of the bracketelement [4 are crossbraced by a sheet metal, strap-like, strut member 26which is curled or rolled securely at its opposite ends around the partsl5 and I6, as at 21 This bracing provision 26 gives ample rigidity tothe maj'orpbody portion of the bracket element Hi, yet the freeendportions 2D and 25 of the; parts l5 and [6, respectively, are readilysprung into engagement over the same side of the fishing rod l llopposite to the side where the middle bearing 22 is engaged when theelement 14 is attached forv use on the rod as indicated in Figure 1 ofthe drawings. 2

, By the relative provision of the middle or intermediate bearingportion 22 and the cooperative end bearing portions 28 and 25, thespring effect thereof. gives a secure yet releasable attachment of thebracket element It tothe fishing rod l0, with permission of adjustmentlongitudinally at any desired place in the length of the rod. That is tosay, the parts 26,22 and 25 are given a normal relativelypositionedsetso that they have to be sprung considerably while th element isis-attached to andremoved from the rod 50. In other words, the rod is,for example, first seated in the middle bearing 22 and then the elementl4 is rocked, to bring the bearing 25 against the opposite side of therod, whereupon, by further manipulation of said element, the parts 22and 25 are sprung to such extent that the bearing 29 is then readilysprung into engagement over the same side of the rod which is engaged bythe bearing 25.

With the arms or bracket elements 14 of the present invention attachedto the fishing rod in the spaced-apart and opposed paired relation asindicated in Figure 1 of the drawings, the wet line is wound, by hand,around and around, over and-,under said elements M, as at 28, startingthe winding 28 with the outer or sinker or bait end of'the line and thengradually wrapping the restpf the line loosely about said elements untilthe entirel'ine'isdrawn off the reel [2. This windingrof the wet line isobviously easily accomplished by hand, as at fleast the fingers of onehand are free for manipulation in spreading apart the resp activelooping's of the ilinean'd laying them with ample looseness for idealair-drying elfect onrsaid arms or bracket elements [4 and, even thoughthe other hand is necessarily usedto do the winding, the fingers thereofmay be also usedtosome extent to assist in theloosening of the windingsof the line on the supporting arms or members l4.

There is a particular advantage in the use of the device of the presentinvention, in that the operator can easily s e'elwhat he is doing andthe arrangementof the elements M on the rod H] is such that theWindingand laying of the loops of the line-by hand is greatlyfacilitated.

, in additionto theease in. whichi'the fishing line is. wound as at 2 8,on thaarms or elements I i, as just above pointedlout, the device as"used assures reasonably quickand thorough dryingof the line. Moreover,removal of the dried. line from the device of the present invention andrewinding of the line on the reel 12 is easily accomplished and withlittle, if any, liability of tangling the lines. Rewinding the driedline is back on the reel [2 isaccomplilshed very easily and quickly inseveral Ways-namely, bylooping that portion-of the fishing 1ine,,l9between the lip guideof. the fishing rod; [0- and elements M around anyobject which willallow theline lilto run freely, then by holding the rodH0 in a position a few feet away from the supporting object with theelements 14' pointing. toward :the supporting object, Theline 19 willuncoil freely, without any manipulating "or guidance, from the elementsMand follow around the supporting object, through the tip guide ofthefishing rod l8 and other guides on the rod Ill asthereell2 is operated.Or, that portion of the rod'lil to which the elements l4 are attachedmay be detached from the handle II and placed on the ground, or, themale end of the rod l0 stuck into the ground, or, the rod Iil supportedin any manner which will allow some freedom of. the elements [4 toadjust themselves to permit free uncoiling of the line I9; The driedline l9 may then be rewound on the reel l2 by the operator standing afew feet away'from the rod lElwith the elements i4 pointing in thedirection of the operator.

There is a furtheradvantage in the device of the present invention inthat, while it is easily attached to and removed from the fishing rodand is hig'hlyefiicient' in the use for which it is intended,.the .two.arms or bracket elements 14, when not in use, can be placed fiatwisetogether so asito becarried conveniently in any ordinary or conventionalfishing tackle box or container,

or in the pocket, and thus be readily at hand for the prompt drying ofthe fishing line after each time of use is over.

It is here further noted that while the illustrated and herein describedopen frame-like form of the arm or bracket element 14 is practical andideal for the purpose intended, the invention is not limitedspecifically to such structure, as modification and change therein ispossible and even contemplated within the spirit and scope of theappended claim. This also applies to the means for effecting theattachment of the element I4 to the fishing rod.

What is claimed is:

A fishing line drier, comprising spaced-apart,

opposed arms mountable detachably at their inner ends on a fishing rodfor support, the wet line to be wound on said arms for its drying, eacharm consisting of an open frame-like structure formed of a single pieceof wire and having a straight portion constituting the line receivingpart proper of the arm, and a rebent continuation from the straightportion formed straight as a companion portion but slanted divergentlylaterally relative to said line receiving portion, the convergent endsof said two straight portions being rounded bluntly at the apex, and theapex end of said line receiving portion of the arm being bent laterallyand substantially parallel with WARREN S. FUNK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 266,704 Lufkin Oct. 31, 1882948,672 Muller Feb. 8, 1910 1,082,448 Scharer Dec. 23, 1913 1,552,481Gyurcsik Sept. 8, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 77,832 SwedenJuly 25, 1933

